A rose by any other name...
by miss Huphries
Summary: Draco is really OOC. I had this up before, but I perfetced it a bit (Not much) R&R. I want to know what the heck I should do with Snape, kill him, or keep him hostage?Tell me, the future is in your hands ^_^
1. Default Chapter

A rose by any other name…

Another year went by and Draco Malfoy found himself in the most non-important part of his existence where he would face little to no challenges and try to change the world with a little bit of paint. Summer past with out a snag or hang nail to mar the boring and futile life of the young blonde, he found by sitting in a certain angle on the couch he could watch himself grow. Inch by inch Draco took height and like a rose in a bed of weeds blossomed into a most beautiful creature. The pale glow of his skin contrasted deeply with his gothic wear, a dark black t-shirt clung to his slip of a figure and underneath neatly laid out on his flesh was an even tighter long sleeved fishnet shirt that complimented his neatly placed arms. Black pants and knee high boots fastened with silver clasps and tied up with thin laces adorned his shapely legs. And atop his perfect face was a crone of silvery white hair (not grayed like an old man but young and mysterious) that settled down at his shoulders. His sight, one glance and you forever in that moment forget about everyone and everything and only behold the beauty. Then he walks by and the moment is gone and never again you see such a face unless you a cruelly thrown into his path again.

There was one problem with Draco, that is that he is a maniac-depressant who was bent on ridding the world of those who weren't him, and doing this in his mind over and over he found himself rocking back and forth. From the time the fourth year ended and the next began Draco rid himself of all love and beauty and filled his sleep with insomnia and filled his life with death. Soon dreams seemed to be more real and flowers wilted and died at his feet as he treaded the paths of everlasting death and hate. A maze of spinning truths Draco filled his lives with tales, lies and deceit. To the great woe of all his close ones he hid himself away into the bottom of his insanity and tried to gasp for air. He would drown in the depths of his self made hell, he would try to live up to sanity's worth, but only fail… Draco Malfoy was gone form the world of people and life and into to the hell of darkness inside insanity.

At the end of the summer Draco found himself among the crowds of lumps of flesh, always pushing and shoving and forever perspiring. He groaned to himself, what vile stenches made way to his nose that made him wretch on the inside. The voices rang loud thundering across the echoing valley's of his mind and some voices mingled with his sanity while others just annoyed it and caused a angry well of feelings to emerge and Draco to make his self a mute to the outside world. Finding it peacefully quiet he could now watch the disgusting persons jaws flap wide open and snap shut but not hear their irritating words.

As if by some lucky fate Draco had made it to the train with only having to ignore five separate beings trying to converse with him. He would rather die than let them invade his moments of silence he so rarely got. He understood he was one of them, just as low, but he also understood that in mind he was a world apart that that could be plainly seen in the contrast of actions that they expressed. He sat alone, as happy as one could expect him to be, on the train to school, the thought of school left a bitter taste in Draco's mouth.

'Hogwarts' he thought bitterly, a dangerous twinge emerging from his soul and forming in to blissful thoughts of death and destruction and little dolls surrounding a withered garden chanting nursery rhymes in a morbid manner. Clouds billowed behind the train and rain slipped lazily down on to the cars.

"This one only has one passenger in it, come on…" a voice broke through the sound barrier Draco had created with his mind, his twisted smile fell from his lips, replaced quickly by a suspicious scowl. The door of the compartment swung open and Harry along with Ron and Hermione sauntered in, only briefly stopping to glare in disgust in the general direction of Draco who had not let up his penetrating scowl that slowly ebbed into the three unlucky passengers souls. They sat, as if by some weird command given by Draco's eyes. Ron was the first to break from the trance.

"Where are your lackey's Malfoy, or have they all left you in favor for something a bit less slimy, eh Ferret?" Draco frowned, the boy had addressed him in such a stupid manner and he meant to tell him that once the bunnies stopped gnawing at his mind. For some reason it was always bunnies that spoke to him in his mind, they seemed to like him and hate him at the same time… he was indifferent.

"Do you have nothing better to do with your self then attack people, like me, who have no stability and are liable to act on impulse if toyed with?" Draco's voice came out eerily, cold , yet silkily and pretty. The three looked at him for a moment.

"Malfoy, have you ever considered what acting on impulse may lead you into? Detention before the year started… suspension or even expulsion!" Hermione tried to keep both Ron and Malfoy in check, though she was more or less on the side of Ron.

"Miss Granger, whatever act I commit wouldn't land me in any thing less then Azkaban… I suppose you, as armatures, can not conceive the horrors a truly mad person who doesn't even realize he has gone off the depths of sanity and so much further can commit. Only the difference between what they do and I do is that in my insanity I have kept a clear mind as not to allow myself to get caught, as I know exactly what I am doing."

"So you are admitting that you know Dark arts and are a part of the Death eaters?" Ron asked, generally confused by half of what Draco said, only catching Azkaban, horrors and insanity. Draco sat and mused over Ron's question leaving a deathly silence fall over the rest of them. A cold chill made Harry shiver and pull his arms to his body, he had finally looked at Draco, he was worried because Draco's figure caught his eyes and wouldn't let them move from his body. Draco seemed to have grown over the summer, in height and in outward appearances such as his face and clothes choice, no longer was Draco dressed in Slytherin robes, black with silver and green trim, but in gothic muggle clothing. This puzzled Harry who well remembered the endless mud-blood taunts and threats, the same Draco who wished death on all who even carried a hint of muggle blood dressed in the clothes of one. A odd enemy, one who is not consistent in what he preaches and what he wears, or perhaps Draco had really changed, but did that make sense? A summer to change an entire person? And a persons entire outlook on life? Had Draco, as he said, actually thrown himself into insanity and forgotten where his beliefs lied? Or was it at all possible that the young man sitting before him wasn't Draco, but a dream and it was he that was going insane? 'No,' Harry concluded, Draco was Draco was Draco and this was just another mindless trick, soon the old Draco would reappear and all would be as it was before… All would be that same and there would be no change… no change… none!

Harry had always wanted change in hi life until he had gotten it, now he fears it. Change to him is taking away all the truth you once knew and replacing it with false truths or stealing the trust of similarity one grows so accustomed to. Similarity is security, and as long as he had that it was okay and change could happen to any one but him.

Draco finally lifted the silence by answering Ron's question, though Ron wasn't looking for the answer he got, it broke the silence and at this point that was the best thing that could happen.

"I admit nothing, and lower myself to no one. Though the Death Eaters amuse themselves with games I find the games meaningless and boring. No one can tell me who to be and what to be and to drag a confession out of me is impossible for I have nothing confess except that I am me, who I choose to be. Though a shrink might argue that I am the voices that I hear and that I conform to my insanity, but I don't believe so, for I am expected no to believe I am insane, so I don't believe.

"As for the Dark Arts, I may be a master, though little has to do with being a Death Eater. I simply taught myself for the purpose of trying to stop the voices, I have since given up, as they echo loudly in the depths of my brain. On top of that I take more satisfaction in killing by means of knives, or guns or whatever I happen to have that is pointy at the end… I tier of this conversation. You don't have any good books to read, how sad. I like monkeys." 

That little speech made Hermione look at Draco with an odd expression, 'Was he really insane?' Draco seemed so stable, except for the major jerk element, for all the years before that are now past. The real question was 'What do the do if he is insane? Commit him to St. Mungo's? Would he slip past like he said he could, or kill them with the closest sharp object? ' Hermione decided to wait till she could contact a professor, preferably the Headmaster himself… though Dumbledore seemed a little off himself.

Ron decided to translate what Draco had just said into cave man terms, almost the only way of speech he could understand.

Ron's Version of Draco's speech"

'I not Death Eater! I me, Draco! Me be insane. I know Dark Arts. Me hear voices. Kill you with knives or pointy thingies. Monkeys.'

Ron sat there thinking about all that and letting it register in his mind. Then it hit him and he stood up in a misguided rage shaking a angered finger towards Draco's general direction.

"Don't threaten us you monkey loving insane guy! You have no right, we have only tried to make friendly conversation and you talk about killing us with pointy things? Is that how you repay my tolerance!"

"Sit down ill tempered one. Is that what you call it? Tolerance? All you've done is insult me and pry into my fumbled life." Draco motioned for Ron to sit, after a moment Ron gave in and sat down on the over stuffed seats neatly done in red flower print fabric. 

"What would you consider our little Tet-a-tet Malfoy?" Harry spoke, his first lines spoken to the Draco whom he desperately hoped was just playing an involved trick and had really not changed into a crazed psycho. Draco looked up in amusement, he opened his delicate mouth as if to say something then he stopped, Harry was transfixed on Draco's face. 

'See how he stares Dra? He knows, he knows what you've done and what you plan to do! Don't let him leave the school alive or he will expose you!' Draco frowned at the voice in his head and said out loud.

"But he seems so harmless, he couldn't know about me, about you." The voice hissed back 'He does, look at those eyes, they will rip you apart one day if you do not rip them first!' "But…" Draco knew he was fighting a losing battle, the voice inside him was really him talking from the parts of his mind that have up until recently been kept locked away in his mind… his insanity.

"But what? Your answer made no sense! Would you answer it right!" Ron snapped at Draco, who again had gone off thinking about nothing yet everything and more.

"What do I think of our meeting today? I bet you want me to say I enjoyed it and that I will have a truce with you for the rest of the year… But no, I did not enjoy it! How can I enjoy something that has been carefully watched and discussed by the surrounding shadows?"

"What?" was the most intelligent answer Hermione could give.

"We are here." Draco stated and quickly left out the compartment doors. Harry followed the suit and soon after Ron and Hermione. There was an odd sort of quiet between those three that night, an unspoken agreement that that was the strangest train ride that they have had in years. As they walked into the great hall they all noticed Draco was missing from his houses table and only thought the worst. Draco was obviously not sane and couldn't be trusted to be alone, ever! The imagination plays tricks on the mind, alas this weren't no trick and in the bowels of Harry's soul he knew things would change, he knew, but he was back at Hogwarts, and Draco, no matter how he now thought, still had Malfoy attached to the end of it, but did that even really matter? No names don't matter, Harry had already learned that… and what was it the Juliet had said… 'A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet…'

Draco was simply the rose. 

TBC? Please tell me if I should post another chapter!


	2. Snapes Folly

I got A LOT of super-duper reviews (OMG I JUST WROTE SUPER-DUPER!) so I decided to make a (drum roll puh-lease) 

A CHAPTER 2!!! Yay! I got one poopy review… and I just wanted to say that that's okay, this is only my very first story (*sniff*) and… and … We all have our opinions in this world, hell, this is America. I am just sooooooooo happy I got any reviews at all and I love all of you peeps for you encouragement! LAXATIVE!I introduce Draco's voice as Mr. Cow, the plush cow. I begin…

A rose by any other name… II

Draco swept through the gloomy halls of the dungeons, the home for all Slytherines. A haven to the followers of Voldermort, a sanctuary to evil. Draco hated it, the shadows in the dungeons complained much more then any of the shadows any where else. They were always gripping about how the halls upstairs were nicer, how people shouldn't be so evil, how hate doesn't really exist, hate was only a over exaggerated form of dislike or jealousy . Draco also hated the shadows, they spoke to everyone, but he was the only one who choose to listen. He listened to the spontaneous outbursts of stupidity from the great hall, another Gryffindor probably, it'd been that way since a certain raven haired star first set his dainty little foot on the grounds of Hogwarts. It disgusted Draco how stupid they all were, looking up to one as thousands die, always dieing, death surrounded him in a heavy cloud, a smog he couldn't lift, one that he didn't really want to lift.

Draco felt comfort in death, it was the most for sure thing, a comfort, for him at least. He didn't have to worry over heaven and Hell, if there were such places, which he had a loose belief in, he'd surly go to hell and welcome it with open arms. Perhaps the Devil could do something about all the bunnies. Draco himself, couldn't well grasp any meaning of a sane concept of life, therefore he spent his time not brooding on how everyone came to be, but the most interesting and creative way one could leave so called perfection (life) and try to get across Styx*. So was Draco's morbid fascination, Death. 

'Draco, are you trying to find solitude again? Conversing with the shadows again, you should stop, they are full of stupid so called wisdom, you'd do better busing yourself with the plan, Draco, don't forget your purpose!' Draco frowned. His voice irritated him, he couldn't see it and what he couldn't see confused him and what confused him pushed closer to the edge of suicide. 

"Look, it doesn't really matter to you who I converse with, shadows or not, you obviously don't think that they will influence me in any way. And the plan? The one to rid the world of Harry? You make me real uneasy, couldn't you take some form that I could see, it'd make me feel better if you were a solid form and not a thought or idea?"

'But that's all I am, your thoughts, your ideas! But if you insist I will take part in some form that you can be sure exists, tomorrow you will see me. You really should get rid of these bunnies, they are gnawing at your brain.'

"I'm indifferent to the bunnies, they are cute and fuzzy, their gnawing tickles! Have you ever had a monkey in you head?"

'How can I, I am a thought!'

"You sound annoyed… I've had a monkey in my head. I like monkey's." 

Draco's inner voice sighed to itself in disapproval, Draco's insanity, though he was apart of it, always showed it the idiotic things he would say. It was really Draco's choice to have the bunnies embedding their teeth inside his thoughts, but he didn't realize that, he was to busy with the world and his brain and the nights with no end where the stars blinked on and off and you realize that it is not a star but a planes tail light. There was always doubt in the world, but Draco was more aware if it then any one else, he seemed to fine tune himself to pain, lies, death, and in all those lied doubt. Doubt in truth, trust, health, and a secure seat in Heaven. 

The most funny thing about insanity was that you never really understand you are insane. To one with an untrained eye you might think Draco wasn't even insane. In fact Draco seemed to have a keen awareness in his insanity, ;did that mean it was all a joke that Draco had put on. Or did Draco convince himself he was crazy, or did Draco simply guess that he was crazy and hit it on the nail. All this was running through Harry's head during dinner. Hermione, who was ultimately weirded out by Draco, had run straight to the teachers, it was like a bird returning to its nest after a long fly down south for the holidays. The professors sent their number one candidate, Severus Snape. Obviously, since Draco had been his prized student for so long and he being head of Slytherin it was sure Draco would talk and listen.

'Have you seen the others looking at you Draco? They know your secret, can't you tell they know about you, they all wait to mock you and hurt you. They are all stupid, idiots who take pleasure in hurting each other, still cavemen at heart.'

"Do you think I don't see their disgusting eyes turn to me when I walk by as if they waited all their life for one moment to make jest to me! Have they really past the monkey stage and developed into hairless beasts?" 

" I believe we have Mr. Malfoy. But would you like to tell me who in the blazes are you talking to?" Professor Snape asked coolly coming forth from the shadows which once covered his body in the false inks of night. Draco whirled around just in time to see his professor step from the shadows and into the dim lights of the dungeons torches. 

"The shadows deceived me! Where are you friends glued to the walls? Why not warn me of such an intruder! Tis what I expect, I suppose, from those who are loyal to no one and have great distrust to all! Bah friends? I listen no longer to your ceaseless chatter or stop to converse with you, yet the noise won't stop!" Snape looked on for a moment before resting his pale hand onto Draco's black clad shoulder. At touch Draco bolted forward and spun on his heels to glare at Snape.

" Severus, what are you doing here!" Draco interrogated. Snape was taken aback, but he would never let it show, not in front of anyone, but Draco saw through his act and smiled wickedly.

"Do not address a Professor by his first name. It is Professor Snape, and these are my dungeons, if you haven't forgotten, I am head of Slytherin." It was smooth, like the grease in his hair, it was smooth. But underneath was unwashed fears of the son of Lucious, who seemed for to unstable to be sane. 

'Rid of him.'

"Have you a reason to come and search for me, when the merry meant is else where?" 

"I do, Miss Granger believes you to be insane, from what I've seen she wasn't to far off. I could, however, make a cover up, as t not get to many people involved in this. There is a potion that is meant to clear up these things, and bring one back if one is not too far into the… sickness. Of course, there always is St. Mungo's, and I am sure the school would love that news, especially Potter and his mindless followers, lets not give them the satisfaction of seeing you shipped off, in a sense. It would just boost their stupid self esteem, though I'm not sure how much more they could take before they explode."

Draco simply raised a delicate eyebrow. The made Snape shiver, but he continued.

"Would you wish me to contact your parents about this? Leave the decision I their hands… I could owl them if you wanted." At this Draco laughed, not a secure laugh, not one given at the end of a joke kind of laugh, not a laugh that starts in you belly and works it way up to your chest and is given out in a jolly, thick manner, but one that is empty, and almost sinister, off balance in a way. Severus was worried, not for Draco, but for himself.

"You can owl all you want, you won't get a reply! (heehee) You see, they've been sort of (hohohaha) preoccupied with their (hah hah) DEATHS! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha..ha..ha ho Ahem, um, don't you find that in the least bit funny?" Severus looked white as a sheet, he started backing away from where Draco was. "No, well you will! I have no real want to kill you Sevvie, I sort of enjoyed your company… Perhaps I… no, no your death is the only way I'd be able to sleep."

TBC 

*Styx is the river in the under world. To cross it is the only way your soul would be at rest, however it was to wild to cross with out a boat, so the boatman Charon had to take the few who meet the requirements across to Hades. You had to meet these two requirements : 1. You had to give Charon a coin, and the only way to obtain a coin after death is to be buried with one. 2. You had to be buried with all your body parts, I know, that's not unusual now, but it was back then! There, your Greek Mythology lesson for the day, if I misspelled Charon please correct me. And I am looking for insight on how Ulysses got across the Styx when he wasn't dead! Please send e-mails, or simply answer in the review section for EVERYONE to see ^_^!


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